To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what average hourly rate her Department paid to employment agencies for agency staff in each year since 1999, broken down by agency. (89525)

The Department was created on 5 May 2006, so information is only available from that time.

The Department uses agencies to supply temporary staff to cover short-term needs, and has a framework agreement with three employment agencies.

The average hourly rate paid to each of them was £14.432, £13.843 and £13.05 respectively.